Combination-sideboard.



No. 708,043. 7 Patented Sept. 2, I902. J. T. HICKS.

COMBINATION SIDEBUABD.

(Application filed Jun. 30, 1901. Renewed Oct. 26, 1901.) (Ila Model.) 2 Sheets-Shoot WITN f TQ- R Q 'I t ATTORNEY m: Nonms PETERS 00., PNOYO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. n. c.

Patented Sept. 2, I902.

J. T. HICKS.

COMBINATION SIDEBOABD.

(Application filed Jan. 30, 1901. Renewed Oct. 26, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES:

IN ENTUR AT ORNEY THE Nonms PETERS co. vnofauruu, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN T. HICKS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HOTEL SECURITY CHECKING COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE; BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AND NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

COMBINATION-SIDEBOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,043, dated September 2, 1902.

Application filed January 30,1901. Renewed October 26, 1901. Serial No. 80,119. (No model.)

I at the bar, together with an accurate knowledge of the stock consumed, making it possible for the proprietor to get a daily percentage of the profit of his bar from the account made apparent each morning from the empty botzo tles.

The primary object is to improve upon the means used and the method practiced in conducting a bar whereat drinks and beverages are dispensed.

i The invention consequently comprises 'a tastily-arranged and neatly-built cabinet or cabinets having the combination of parts and the numerous details and peculiarities of the several constituent elements of said combina- 0 tion, substantially as will be hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved combination-sideboard. Fig. 2

. is a horizontal sectional plan view of a part of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the main central portion of the sideboard.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section of one of the wings thereof. Fig. '5 is a plan detail of the bottle-guide.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout all the difierent figures of the drawings.

By referring to Fig. 1 the front appearance of my improved sideboard will be evident.-

This is designed, of course, to be located ata suitable spot behind the bar proper. The sink and drain ordinarily used underneath the bar proper are entirely dispensed with. In front of my sideboard stands the bartender or bartenders who serve beverages to the customers. 1 It is believed that when my present improvement is madeuseof not more than one-half the number of bartenders now employed will be needed to do the work. Behind the sideboard-that is to say, at the right of it as it appears in the sectional views in Figs. 3 and 4-is a dish-cleaner or attendant, one or more of them, as may be necessary, who cleanses the soiled glasses, as well as having charge of the bottled goods which are supplied fromtime to time to the bartenders. The front of the sideboard has no large door designed to open, as is commonly the case, but is made up of small slides or panels, as

is shown in Fig. 1, each one being only about the size of a bottle or tumbler, so that when the bartender hasneed of one of the bottles or one of the glasses he only opens as much of the front by sliding one of the panels as is needed to get hold of the desired article, so that very little of the cold air escapes. The rear of the central section of the sideboard is designed to contain unbroken bottled goods 7 5 in a refrigerating-compartment, the same being in the charge and under the control of v the dish-washer or the person behind the sideboard, and the front portion of 1 this central section contains the broken bottled 'goods'8o those that arein use for supplying drinks which are consequently under the control and in the charge, of the bartender. The whole sideboard is adapted to be locked from the rear by the dish-washer, there being 'no fastenin'gs at the front.v The parts are so arranged that the bartender cannot seize from the front any of the stock of bottled goods and can only get those bottles that are regularly supplied to him by the dish-washer, for 0 which the bartender gives his vouchers.

Referring now to the drawingsin detailfor the purpose of describing the specific con-- struction and arrangement of the various parts ofthat example of my invention illus- 5 trated in the drawings herewith, it will be observed that A denotes the main central section of my improved combination-sideboard,

and B B the side wings. The wings B are preferably arranged, as shown in Fig. 2, with their front surfaces substantially alined with the front surface of the main central section A, and I think it will be convenient in actual practice to have the wings B much thinner between their front and rear faces than is the main section A, for said wings are designed only to contain glassware, while the main section A is designed to have a front portion holding the opened bottles from which the bartender is dispensing drinks and also a rear ice-box section holding the unbroken bottled goods. The wings B B are preferably provided near their bottom edges with openings B B at the floor, whereby a tray of soiled glasses may be slid through on the floor from the front to the rear of thesideboard.

The front of the entire sideboard, including central section A and wings B, is provided atintervals with vertical mirrors 0, of glass or highly-polished metal, and also the whole front is made up of slides composed of plate-glass in metal frames, so that not only does the arrangement of the slides make the contents of the sideboard easily accessible from the front, but likewise the transparent character of said slides renders the contents plainly visible from the front and causes the sideboard to present a very neat and elegant appearance.

The sections or wings B are composed of a series of compartments between the shelves E. These shelves are preferably of openwork or some latticed construction. As shown in drawings, they are made of crossed slats, so that the cold air has a free circulation through this portion of the sideboard from top to bottom. On these shelves the glasses, mugs, and other bar furniture are arranged. The front and rear edges of the shelves E consist of rails e, that are grooved at top and bottom. In these grooved rails are arranged the small sliding doors I). The way in which they are opened is shown at I). These slides have the preferable construction above indicated-namely, being sections of plate-glass inclosed in metal framesand they have their edges in contact with each other, as shown, so that they can he slid to the right or left and access at any desired point had to the contents of the wings B. The edges that are in contact with each other are provided with rubber strips attached or cast in grooves, so as to make elastic contacts. These slides are intended to be moved behind the mirrors 0 when any one of them is opened.

At the top of each of the wings B is an icechest I-I,arranged in any suitable manner and used for the purpose of refrigerating the entire interior of said wing B.

It has already been mentioned that the main central section A is much thicker than the side sections B. At the top of main section Ais an ice-box D, suitably arranged and supplied withice to keep the entire section A cool throughout its interior. In this section,at suitable distances apart, are arranged shelves of a peculiar pattern. The rear portion F of these shelves consists of a latticed or openwork construction, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and on them are placed the unopened bottled goods, access to which is had through the rear slide-doors a, preferably of rectangular form and of just the right size to enable access to be had to a bottle. The front portion of each shelf is of open-work construction, as I, having openings 11 t' and having the upper face preferably inclined, said front portion I being designed to hold the opened bottles which are in use and access to them being had through the front slides a, similar in shape and construction to the rear slides at. These front shelves I are narrower in width than the rear shelves F, since the front shelves are intended merely to hold single bottles,while the rearshelves are intended to receive as many bottles as can be conveniently placed thereon.

Between the front and rear shelves I and F are vertical partitions G, that are attached above and do notextend entirely down to the next shelf below, leaving aspace between the lower edge and the next shelf, through which the cold air can circulate. Thus it will be seen that the cold air from the ice-box D has abundant opportunity to circulate throughout the entire section A of the sideboard. The front faces of the partitions G are provided with mirror-plates of glass or polished metal.

0 0 denote bottles from which the bartender is serving customers, and these hottles are located on the front portions I of the shelves of main section'A, as shown. In order to keep these bottles closed when not in use and prevent their contents from being deteriorated, collecting dust, flies, &c., I employ in connection with them the bottle-closing means, which has already been made the subject of a copending application for Letters Patent filed January 21, 1901, Serial No. 43,999, the fundamental feature of which invention is the provision of a stationary yielding device, against which the open mouth of the bottle may be placed tightly in contact, and an inclined base vertically beneath the yielding device, on which base the lower end of the bottle is contrived to slide for the purpose of making a tight closure of the bottleneck.

J denotes a block of elastic material, such as soft rubber, fastened to the under side of shelf I to receive against it the open end of the bottle. A frame I, having curved indentations p, is situated beneath the rubber block J to serve as a guide in properly receiving the bottle-neck in directing the mouth of the bottle against the block J.

The person at the rear of the sideboard can easily lock the slides a and b by means of a suitable locking device, one of which I show in Figs. 2 and 3, consisting of plate K, running from the top to the bottom of the sideboard, said plate being slotted and engaged by stationary pins and having a rearwardlyprojecting handle L, accessible at the rear of the sideboard by the person at that point, said handle L having a slot Z for the attachment of an operating-cord, it it is desired.

The front edge of the plate K is designed to essary glass is to move one of the slides b and main central section, having spaces for they reception of bottles from which liquors are,

he will'find the proper polished glass in place. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a sideboard, the combination with a being dispensed, and a refrigerating-space for the reception of bottled goods, of wings or side sections for holding clean glassware and the like, said main and side sections being furnished with front and rear slides, whereby the contents of the several'spaces or chambers can be readily approached, substantial] y as described.

2. In a sideboard, the combination of the central section and the side or wing sections, all of which are provided at front and rear with series of slides, a series of mirrors on the front of'the sideboard behind whichmirrors the said'slides may be pushed individually, as described, a series of open-work shelves in the wing-sections, a series of openwork shelves in the main section, provided with partial partitions, means in theffront portions of the main section for closing temporarily the mouths of the bottles therein from which drinks are being dispensed by the bartender, an ice-chest for keeping cool the contents of the main section, and a locking device for the slides, substantially as described.

3. In a sideboard, the combination with a main section having spaces for the reception of bottles from which liquors are being dispensed and a refrigerating-space for the reception of bottled goods, meansfor closing temporarily the mouths of the bottles from JOHN T. HICKS.

January, 1901.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR T HICKs, FRED B. TASKER. 

